What music is best for an Audiophile Society Meeting?

Greetings Hififarm - is that you, Steve?

Congrats on becoming a Piega dealer!

I'm also involved in the audio club here in New Orleans, and in my experience people get tired of hearing the standard audiophile fare (Diana Krall, etc) all the time. Something new is going to be more interesting, even if it doesn't give them as valid a reference point for making comparisons.

So spice it up with some obscure stuff you like! Here are a few discs I like and have used, though probably will not use again unless requested:

1. Fairfield Four, "Standing in the Safety Zone". Gospel quartet, incredible male vocals. Warner Brothers, 9 26945-2.

2. Amanda McBroom, "Growing up in Hollywood Town". A Sheffield Lab direct-to-disc analog recording, Amanda's vocals on "The Rose" will bring tears to your eyes. She wrote the song, Bette Midler slaughtered it. Sheffield CD-13.

3. Seth Kaufman, "Circling Noon". Superb solo piano recording by an innovative artist (who happens to be a friend). On Cascadilla Records (hard to find), CDLA2365.

4. Berlioz "Symphonie Fantistique", Atuauflo Argenta conducting the Paris Conservatoire Orchestre, recorded in 1957 (on tube gear, of course). Use the 5th movement. London, 452 305-2.

If you can't find the Amanda McBroom, you might try the late Eva Cassidy's "Songbird", on Blix Street Records, G2-10045. The first cut, Sting's "Fields of Gold", will rip you heart out.

Since it's a club meeting, don't be too offended if people want to talk and mill around. Also, there's an excellent chance people will bring things they want to hear, and I always give requests priority over whatever might have been on my agenda.

With speakers like the Piegas, might as well show off how good they sound at low volume too, since many married or apartment-dwelling audiophiles do their serious listening late at night at low volume levels.

Wish I could be there!

Duke

When we had a NYAS member visit our meeting with the NJ Audio Society he remarked on how much more classical music we played at our meetings than they did. I'd suggest you bring really what you think sounds best on the speakers and maybe some of the audiophile standards noted above. The Reference Recordings series with the Minnesota Orchestra has many good, shorter pieces (Bernstein's Candide Overture, The Sorcerer's Apprentice on Mephisto & Co., the Kabelevski on Bolero); Delos has a number of excellent discs, including the Dvorak Requiem disc and the Mahler 2, and Harmonia Mundi has plenty of great recordings (try Arias for Cuzzoni with Lisa Safer and the Philharmonia Baroque). All of these will sound great on a good system such as the one you'll be showing. Let me know if you'd like to do a similar demo for us over here in New Jersey some time, we're always looking for interesting programs.

Yeah, that Fairfield Four disc is GREAT!

Well slight change in plans ~ there is a new dealer signing on near NY that will be attending the demo ~ but thanks for your suggestions and we'll pass them along. This has been very helpful and gives us a good idea of what to have on hand in the showrooms as well! Thanks again!